Christmas Morning
by Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
Summary: Knowing that he’d have someone who put him first, it made him feel like he could make it through. --Carlito & Primo


**Author: **TheFanboy  
**Title:** Christmas Morning  
**Fandom:** Wrestling (WWE)  
**Characters:** Eddie "Primo" Colón, Carly "Carlito" Colón.  
**Summary:** He didn't expect much when he woke up that morning…  
**Rating:** K+  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own either brother, and I do not claim to know anything about their family life. The fan fiction is just that and should not be taken as anything that resembles fact.  
**Feedback:** Really? I'd love it. Even if it's just a few words to say you enjoyed it. However, constructive criticism is even more loved and appreciated. It's a story very close to my heart, so input would count for a lot.  
**Author's Notes (Need to know): **The story is set in December 1999. Eddie's birthday is on December 21st. Their ages are mentioned in the fic. Also, any excessive use of commas? Totally my fault. I could not find anyone to give it a read for me.

I wasn't really expecting anything when I woke up that morning. Even on a holiday as special as this, little seemed to be different as I looked at my surroundings. I didn't see any decorations, any stockings and I certainly didn't see all kinds of wrapped presents under a big Christmas tree. All I could see on television these days were holiday movies, and they all had one basic plot: a blissful family gets together and puts aside their differences to celebrate a joyous occasion that only occurs once a year. If that wasn't annoying enough on its own, all of my friends at school talked endlessly about what gifts they thought they were getting. I tuned their voices out after a while, trying not to be angry about the fact that everyone (but my own family) understood what the holiday was about; that it was a time to be happy and to make those you care about even happier.

My parents didn't believe in that though. In the same way they didn't believe in having fun on a birthday or rewarding good grades. It would probably sound strange if you didn't know who my parents were. On one hand, you had Carlos Colón: the "Hulk Hogan of wrestling in Puerto Rico". To me, that means he is someone who seriously lacks talent and that his only saving grace is getting cheered by people who don't know any better. He's not the best of wrestlers, and he's much worse at being a dad. I wish I could say all the resentment I have toward him comes from the fact that he's never around, but the only time I can tolerate his existence is when he's dong his job, the hell away from me. As for my mom? I don't have any fancy insults to describe her, so I'll keep it simple: she's a bitch.

"Eddie, you woke up?" I was surprised to hear his voice, quickly remembering the events that happened the night before. It wasn't easy to forget either way, I slept in the couch in the living room because of the fact that he decided to kick me out of my own room. It was actually 'our' room since we had to share it. But still. It was half-mine and I didn't even know why he suddenly felt like he didn't want around, although I figured he probably had a fight with his girlfriend or something.

"Hey," He said, with one of his over-exaggerated smirks, as if he made me sleep on the couch every night and this was nothing new.

"Hey yourself." I managed to utter, with nowhere near the same enthusiasm that he greeted me with. All while keeping my eyes firmly on the ground; so much so that I even noticed the stain I had left a few days ago when I was eating in front of the TV.

"So… you're probably angry about last night, huh?" He asked, in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer and was just buying a few extra seconds to come up with an excuse. I even had a few excuses in mind that he'd probably use, the one in the lead being: "I wanted to masturbate while having phone sex." It struck me as the most believable. Still fresh from rolling my eyes at his question, the sarcasm dripped from my tone as I spoke. "You're _really _sharp, y'know that Carly? I mean, I didn't think you'd even notice."

I knew the way I was acting was probably aggravating at best, but I couldn't help it. His company was all I had, which is something I never resented. In a way, it made me feel proud to say that my big brother was my rock, my best friend. I guess it made me feel 'cool by association' since he was always the popular one in school; girls wanted to date him and guys looked up to him whereas I didn't have the same glowing reputation. I was probably too low-key to be on the chess club, but I think I classified as one of the nerds. My ranking in school never really affected many things, because of Carly; as long as people knew who my brother was? I'd get a free pass from the bullying and teasing. One sophomore wasn't aware of that though and decided it would be funny to make me his new target. He was currently nursing a black eye for his troubles, courtesy of my older brother.

"Why'd you kick me out like that?" I asked, trying to keep myself from sounding too defensive this time around. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, if there was anything I learned from him, it was that being a coconut head would get you nowhere fast, so I gave him the chance to explain himself and depending on whether or not his excuse was reasonable, I'd either stay mad or get over it. I'd actually been pretty grumpy around him for the past few days because he didn't remember my birthday. I was possibly just looking for a reason to let my anger out on him for forgetting.

He mouth opened a few seconds before he said anything. "I… uh, needed the room to myself for one night." He hesitantly clarified, in a way that gave my "phone sex" guess a little more ammo. "Fine." I grumbled, when I felt anything but fine. "Can you not do it again though? It really hurt my back sleeping on this damn thing." My voice was creeping back up to expressing reasonable bitterness. It was bad enough not getting a birthday present or so much as a "happy birthday" from him but being an ass to me on a day where practically everybody woke up with a smile on their face made me want to punch him. I honestly couldn't remember ever feeling that way before.

"Ed," I felt his hand on my back and I somehow managed to keep me myself from moving away. I slowly began to realize that the way I was acting very well might have been the result of bent up anger rather than just being over an uncomfortable night. I wasn't use to being this angry at him – I doubted I ever was, but there was a first time for everything. I supposed I should have been glad though: after sixteen years on earth, I could finally say I had the urge to kick my brother's ass. That was a normal urge for any younger sibling, right? Too bad he'd kick _my _ass if I took a swing at him. At least, that's what I think would happen.

"What?" I asked, not really bothering to hide the way I felt anymore.

"I want to show you something." He said, simply. I stopped glaring at the ground long enough to raise an eyebrow.

"So… get up, alright? And brush your teeth or something cause…" I imagined the annoyed look on his face as he trailed off. He'd already left my side before I could point out that I hadn't even been awake for more than a few minutes. "You're _ten _times worse when you wake up and I never say anything." I complained, even though I knew he couldn't hear me and even though the part about me never saying anything wasn't true.

---

As I made my way up to our room, it was getting harder for me to maintain the anger I had against him. A small reason for that was because I had to pass by Stacey and Melissa's rooms and be reminded of how much easier they had it. We shared the same house, but it never seemed to me like they had to go through the things me and Carly did on a fairly frequent basis. Dad was a big fan of treating the women in the family differently; he spoiled my sisters rotten. I wouldn't resent it as much if they didn't rub my face in it as much as they did.

The real reason, though, was that I wasn't use to being angry with him. Plain and simple. I wasn't sure I liked the feeling a whole lot either. I knew I had a reason to be testy. It was only the extra feeling of guilt that was weighing on me. One part of me that was all, **"It's just a birthday, just one night on a couch."** If anything, I might as well have been pissed at myself for expecting more out of him this time. He's always good about wishing me a happy birthday, even when he can't get any presents or gag-gifts. The more I thought about it, the more I got accepting to the fact that I was just being a brat. I wanted to let it go the more those thoughts played in my mind.

"_A little lower." He spoke, in a tone overshadowed with pain._

"_Here?" A meek question asked, as the ice pack was lowered._

_The older brother nodded, eyes closed._

_Another night for them in a long string of nights that seemed to play out in the exact same way: Carly's back against the wall, sitting quietly in the bathroom as he received the extent of what 'medical attention' he could have, courtesy of his little brother holding an ice pack to his bruised face. What led to the bruise wasn't exactly any different either. Sure, the reasons for the fights would vary from 'ridiculous to 'irritating'. But, at the end of the day, he took every last punch, just so when it was all said and done? He would be the only one who hurt._

"_I'm tired of this, man." Eddie spoke up, holding the ice pack where it was under Carly's eye. Seemingly working his way up to say more._

"_I know, Eddie. I know." He sighed, ready to brush the matter off like he always did, until he opened his eyes and saw the look on Eddie's face. Suddenly, he knew why Eddie's tone was so timid a second ago. The thirteen year old looked to be near tears._

"_Can you please… let me finish?" Eddie firmly asked, once Carly opened his mouth, with the intent to tell him he should calm down, most likely. "I'm tired of seeing you like this. Every night, almost. Because of the things I say or do." He paused, long enough to wipe the tears currently streaming his face, his accent so much more apparent in his words due to being emotional. "You should hate me, if not for what I put you through then because I'm your little brother. You're supposed to hate me." The tone he spoke in fluctuated between uncharacteristically powerful and understandably broken depending on the unstable control he had over his emotions._

"_Okay. First of all, you don't put me through anything. Dad is the one who…" He began, sounding as sure as he was deep down about what he said. But Eddie wasn't finished._

"_I should have just gone to bed when he asked." The young man rationalized. "If I had…"_

"_It was only eight o'clock. Who the hell does he think he is, anyway? Being here one day every few weeks and barking orders at you?" Carly cut him off, sounding exceptionally defensive. His anger rising when he remembered his dad getting about ready to backhand Eddie had Carly not stepped in. This wasn't what Eddie needed to hear though, so he tried to keep a cool head as Eddie went on: "I always get between you and your girlfriends. If it wasn't for me, you might have had a normal life."_

_The older brother's expression softened incredibly, understanding how Eddie would get that idea, but not buying into it for a second. "Who fed you that crap?"_

"_It's true." Was all Eddie replied, staring away from his older brother._

_Eddie was so bright. He rarely (if ever) went below a full grade in any of the subjects he studied, and he took interests in subjects that other kids his age didn't even know about. He was articulate, quick-witted and sharp, so much so that Carly would forget that he was only starting to understand how things worked at such a crucial time in his life – that he was just as prone to naïve and childish thoughts as any teenager would be. That, if anything, it said a lot that Eddie held up a strong front for as often and as long as he did, but for the first time in a long time, he__** looked**__ at Eddie and saw what was really there: a scared little kid who had the guilty expression of a student singled out in class for chewing gum._

_What he saw stirred him for a moment, making his words sound shaken once they became audible: "Hermanito," Carly sighed, somberly. He reached out to place his hand on Eddie's shoulder in a comforting act, but those innocent eyes didn't flinch. Eddie wanted an answer, one that didn't include an understated verbal shrug or a joke that lessened the importance of what they were going through. Unlucky for Carly though, he didn't have a fancy, elaborated answer. All he had was the conviction that it was job to protect his flesh and blood. It was the first time he realized that Eddie might be too young to answer what that meant. The older Colón brother doubted he fully understood it himself, but maybe this wasn't the time for fancy and elaborated words._

_He reached out to hug his younger brother, sensing resistance at first. Resistance that spoke to the fact that Eddie was firm in his intent to keep up an act of having it all together, but as Carly began to speak; he accordingly let his guard down. "I'm your older brother. How much of a walking void would you see me as if I just let Him hit you and look the other way, eh?" He was amazed that his last semi-rhetorical question came out with light humor he'd intended, given everything._

"_I guess you wouldn't be that great, bro." The younger of two actually let out a small laugh in his reply. "But, what I'm saying is… I can be the one with bruises on my face and you can be the one holding the ice pack; I'm old enough to take it now." He spoke, going for bravery but just sounding foolish to the man that held him in an embrace._

"_Old enough to take it?! Ed, you shouldn't even be expected to take it." Carly sounded upset but it was more because of the fact that they had to go through this than at what his younger half suggested._

"_Neither should you." Eddie replied, in the tone of someone who tried to sound more confident than he was. The second child felt that whatever was left of his attempts at hiding weakness were losing effectiveness each time he tried to criticize Carly for his actions. He was grateful, more than his words would let him express. He lightly rested his head on Carly's shoulder, and was the one who tightened the grip of the hug, trying to be the one who put forth a reassuring gesture for once. For all the times he'd been on the receiving end of that._

_The seventeen year old sensed that the control he had over himself probably dropped considerably – it was as if a knife had gone through his heart and while the pain of that didn't last, it hurt a whole hell of a lot for the few minutes they remained silent. He didn't know if the pain was because of the truth behind Eddie's timid retort or because of the fact that Eddie was trying to be the one who dealt out the comfort, adding a whole other grim layer to their reality and he didn't care all that much to find out; he only did what he could to wish the sorrow away._

"_You know, I think it might be… cool to know what it's like to hate your annoying little brother." He mused, in doing so being the one who broke the stillness that had lingered for several minutes. "Maybe I will someday. And maybe, you'll know what it's like to hate your jackass of an older brother, like the tradition goes. Right now though, it doesn't seem like we're going to go through all that…" He waved a hand in the air, trying to find the correct term to use._

"_All that… sibling-rivalry?" Eddie injected, half-heartedly._

"_Right. Thanks." He said, sighing with defeat upon seeing that his little speech had little positive affect on his younger brother. He was right initially: Fancy and elaborated words weren't needed right now._

_Instead, he let his let fingers run through Eddie's hair, absent-mindedly kissing a spot on the younger man's head. "Nene," he muttered under his breath (the Spanish word for 'baby boy'), as the second child just barely swayed in Carly's arms. He felt safe there, in those arms, in a way that he couldn't explain. It was almost as if he could have been in a situation far worse, knowing that he'd have someone who put him first, it made him feel like he could make it through. Go through the same hell they had to so many times before, and still be able to smile by the end of it. The smile wasn't there on this night, but the feeling of security was ever present. _

"_Is it really necessary to call me that?" Eddie frowned a bit playfully, still keeping the hug going for a moment before Carly pulled away. "Call you what? 'Nene'?" The older brother made a face as if he didn't comprehend the fact that the affectionate term could be irritating to Eddie, who was trying too soon to reach adulthood._

_The 'baby boy' in question simply shook his head, feigning a dismayed expression beyond how he really felt about the nick name, ready to go back to his ice pack duties before Carly spoke up: "You're gonna have a hard time waking up tomorrow for school, if you don't sleep soon."_

"…_But." Eddie took a stab at protesting this; feeling like it was the least he could do to tend to his brother's aches, even if it didn't help much._

_The older brother held up his hand to end any impending debate. "Go sleep, Eddie. I can handle it." There was a small, probably forced grin after the words._

---

"Carly, I…" The apology, the one for the way I was acting, was already on the tip of my tongue by the time he opened the door to our bedroom. I had to wait for a couple minutes while he opened up. Looking over his shoulder though, I didn't expect to see what I did.

"What's that, behind you?" I might've sounded like I was accusing him of something – it was only because I was so… surprised.

"Uh, come in." He used his hand wave as a way of telling me to step inside after he moved out of the way. He looked as cool and as nonchalant as he always did, but he had that look on his face. Like he was keeping a smirk from showing on the outside.

It was still our room. Not ridiculously tiny, not outrageously huge. It fit the two of us, both of our beds, a mirror and of course the 'accessories' that decorated the otherwise plain white walls. There were noticeable differences between all that; the beds were pushed together and shoved to the side to make room for the small two-person couch that occupied the center of the room facing the TV now there; our regular mirror was wrapped in garland, a definite Christmas theme about it all. Carly had apparently even stuck socks on the mirror, and wrote our names on each of the two using a marker. I guess those were meant to replace actual stockings. Most of all, I think the sight of the very modest-sized Christmas tree registered with me, because… I didn't think I'd ever get to see one in our home.

"…Surprise?" His voice came, and I knew, turning around to face him, that he was probably still leaning against the door frame, waiting for my reaction.

"What is all this, man?" I wasn't sure what he expected me to say at first. I didn't know what I was supposed to say.

"Basically an idea I had so… we can celebrate this day." He shrugged the gesture off like it was nothing, but I guess I shouldn't have expected less than that from him. Me, on the other hand? Felt like an ass after I put two and two together. "Is this way you kicked me out last night? To set this up?"

"Okay, first of all, I didn't kick you out. I asked you to leave the room for a bit. You got pissed off and decided that I wanted to masturbate, I guess." He pointed out, plainly as it came through in his words, while I was wondering how much more humility I could gain from this experience. "I waited until you fell asleep, then I got started."

"We may remember the events differently." My tone was now as unassuming and apologetic as it should have been the first time around. "I'm sorry; I… have been walking around with a chip on my shoulder for the last couple of days because you didn't say anything about my birthday…" Sounded like I was talking for the sake of it. My reasoning was pretty lame in retrospect. Especially after what I knew now, I could admit that I was more than over-reacting.

"I didn't forget. I wanted you to think I did, so you'd be surprised when you found out about this." He explained. "Not the best idea, but we both know mine aren't usually great." And after saying that, his voice changed into something I couldn't really make sense of; he sounded amused, slightly worried when he pointed out: "You're crying, hermanito."

My expression was probably a combination of happiness and sadness, my nose probably a light shade of red. I didn't know that tears were streaming down, until then. "Yeah? I really wasn't expecting anything today, you know? Or ever. On this day."

"Yeah. I know." Carly agreed with a prolonged sigh. "Not a lot about this place inspires great sentiment."

"Sentiment? That's a _big _word for you. I'm impressed." My attempt at an insult was more so to detract from the truth of what he said.

"I'm learning, I'm learning." He had a smile on his face as he walked toward me, pulling me into a hug; that was really all I needed to stop from making another remark about his intelligence. "This was really thoughtful of you." It was all I could really say, but I hoped it was enough.

"I know it's not a lot—" He was going to trail on, most likely before I cut him off, breaking the hug.

"It makes me happy, Carly. Something I'm not use to feeling on Christmas. Thank you for that."

He nodded, and had a tiny smile of his own. He was never the best at accepting gratitude from others. Still wasn't. I was hoping that smile meant that he was getting a little better at it though.

"This does mean you have to do thing for me now…"

I rolled my eyes, as if this were some trying experience. I knew I could argue there was more to life than Shannon Elizabeth's breasts, but I'd just hear about her vagina in return. If he wanted to watch that dumb movie with me, I owed it to him. I figured it had to be at least funny in some parts.

---

"Te amo."

I looked at the TV screen, which I had mostly been paying very little attention to as the "American Pie" went on – we were both sitting on the couch in the middle of room, his arm placed on my shoulder as I was kind of leaning against him. The feeling of comfort I had from being close to him, along with the fact that I had zoned out, I didn't realize that those words were intended for me and not any of the actresses the movie featured. "Love you too, bro." I looked up from where I was resting my head -on his shoulder-, and sat up, knowing my voice was tentative when I spoke: "I know it might not always be this way."

"What do you mean, Ed?" He looked back at me, a confused expression on his face.

I took more than I should have to answer his question. He didn't seem to care that the teen comedy was still playing, waiting for me to elaborate. "I mean you and me. I know things can change someday. You grow up, get out of this hell and you don't have the time for me anymore. I'd still have these memories."

"How many times have we had this conversation?"

"A couple, maybe five." I sighed, knowing I lost points with him each time I brought it up. But being so close to him now, and finally having this day thanks to him, I got a little paranoid.

"And each time, I have to say a variation of _nothing will ever change. _You are sort of overbearing in your own way, nene." He smirked, and though I tried not to, I laughed. He was right. But at the same time, "Can you blame me? I mean, you're whiny and I'm overbearing. I think our flaws are pretty minimal, given everything."

"I'm not whiny." Carly said, defensively. He took a long moment of silence after that, and I knew he was gathering his thoughts to reply to my doubts of our future. "Might not be exactly the same… I'm kinda hoping it isn't." Saying this, he happily pointed to a scar on his forehead, gained by one of our father's many beatings. "No matter what though, I'll always have time for you. You're my little brother. My overbearing, suspicious little brother. But the one I care about the most in this world despite of all that."

He sounded so sure that I honestly for a second, felt like he could be right and wasn't just speaking out of good intentions. If only I didn't know any better.

"You're right. You're right." I conceded in defeat as he turned his attention back to the TV screen, just as Shannon was about to go topless.

"Stop being so worried about everything, okay?" He excitedly pulled me to him, undoubtedly in the anticipation of the big reveal and my head was right back where it was, resting on his shoulder. Not that I minded.

I didn't expect anything, waking up that morning and I ended up getting exactly what I wanted: Christmas… with my brother.


End file.
